Lee Shoquist, 2003’s Best and Then Some…
1.
Lost in Translation – Sofia Coppola’s lovely valentine to a pair of dislocated lonely hearts played to perfection by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson. By turns observant, bittersweet and poetic. Everything works wonderfully – the dream-like cinematography, sublime performances, evocative score and minimal, effective screenplay by Coppola herself. It’s a small picture that speaks to the profundity of relationships forged in unlikely places with unexpected partners at unexpected times. A gem.2.
Monster – There may be better "films" lower on my list, but Monster is fixed near the top because it is, without a doubt, the best-acted film of the year. There was no better performance in 2003 than Charlize Theron, in a ferociously sympathetic turn as a wrecked human being conflicted by love and pain. By the end of the film, she’s given us a classically tragic portrait of a murderous hooker failed by everyone and failing at everything, most of all herself. First time writer/director Patty Jenkins smartly constructs her film in a manner that defies genre expectations. It may be a film about a serial killer and the murders may be brutal, but at the end of the day, Monster doesn’t let its killer off the hook – and the depth of feeling Jenkins and Theron somehow imbue her with just plain hurts…for days.3.
21 Grams – An intersecting triptych of grief, guilt and redemption, with an acting ensemble that defies superlatives: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Melissa Leo. Amores Perros director Alejandro Gonazales Inarritu probes three lost souls linked by a tragedy, whose lives converge in unexpected ways. Screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga’s non-linear construction yields surprising emotions played to the hilt by Watts, particularly, who runs the emotional gamut as a woman who experiences life’s lowest lows but carries on like a walking ghost. The story construct is challenging, but even more intriguing is the film’s uncompromising discussions on life and death, religion and how life sometimes just doesn’t go on.5
. Raising Victor Vargas – Writer/director Peter Sollett fashions the year’s best teen film, a heartfelt New York story of some Lower East Side kids grappling with love and family responsibility. Swaggering newcomer Victor Rasuk creates a memorable teen lothario with all the right moves but in search of his heart. At a time when so many teen stories set in "the hood" focus only on the exteriors, the exploitation, the sensationalism – Sollett’s kids are good-hearted innocents with real life on their minds, and surprisingly clear-headed morals and values.6.
Manito – Eric Eason’s immediate, earnest low-budget feature set in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood, tells the story of two vastly different Latino brothers and their estrangement from their broken-down father. The digital video film is raw and real, intense and troubling. Newcomer Franky G. shows off some major acting chops as a macho stud imploding with aggression and resentment, and Leo Minaya as the younger, straight arrow, college-bound brother contributes an unforgettable moment when his girlfriend is threatened by some dangerous thugs. A model of economy and fiercely performed.7.
Lilya 4-Ever – A sad trip into the world of a young girl thrown away by family and society, the idealism beaten out of her in favor of a hard knock life of a victimized teenaged sex slave. It’s strong stuff, and director Lucas Moodysson coaxes a magnificent performance from young actress Oksana Akinshina as abandoned teen Lilya, eking out a pathetic existence in a ruined Soviet Union until falling victim to a worse fate – the underground sex trade. Heartbreaking.8.
Bus 174 – A galvanizing documentary about a real-life bus hijacking gone wrong in Rio, pumped up to epic proportions and spread out in interviews to encompass the vast social problems of violence, poverty and the cruel injustices of Brazil’s foul prisons. Using remarkable real-time video footage, the event balloons into a national media frenzy, before inevitable tragedy. Like Monster, Bus 174 is smart enough not to excuse the crimes of its subject, but equally powerful at forcing us to see the reasons responsible.9.
The Magdalene Sisters - A scalding examination of cruelties perpetrated for decades by the Catholic Church in Ireland, writer/director Peter Mullan’s compassionate film exposes a terrifying social injustice with an appropriate sense of scale – that of an epic tragedy. For much of the past century, innocent Irish girls wrongly committed to a Church sanctioned laundry run by sadistic, brutal nuns, wasted their lives as the equivalent of death row prisoners. In fact, many either died or were forever changed by the dehumanizing tactics played out behind the locked doors, allowed to occur by a society caught in the stranglehold grip of Catholicism gone wrong. An important film with a galvanic performance by veteran British actress Geraldine McEwan as the sadistic spiritual leader, Sister Bridget.10.
Love Actually – A masterful romantic comedy/drama written and directed by Richard Curtis, painted on a broad enough canvas to explore several different love stories with humor and feeling. Positing the idea that "love is all around us," Curtis deftly examines the romantic longings, fulfillment and disappointments of an extended handful of friends and acquaintances during one London Christmas season. It’s a beauty of a film, and contrary to a precious few naysayers who missed the boat and dismissed the film as sappy and cloying, its ebullient charm and perfect performances (Emma Thompson and Martine McCutcheon are standouts) create a genuine and moving aura of romantic goodwill. It’s not an entirely feel-good affair, exploring the pain love can bring in its unrequited forms, the effect love and death can have on a family and the crushing blow of infidelity. But make no mistake – Love Actually is an overwhelming experience, and it’s a genuine, heartfelt thing. Love really is all around in this film.And then there were some…
2003 turned out to be a pretty good year for movies, and many of those on the following list could have easily wound up with a spot on my Top Ten. Here they are, in alphabetical order, and each pretty terrific in its own right.
American Splendor
Barbarian Invasions, The
Bend it Like Beckham
Better Luck
Tomorrow
Big Fish
Bubba Ho-Tep
Buffalo Soldiers
City of God
Cold Mountain
Cooler, The
Elephant
Fellini: I’m a
Born Liar
The Flower of Evil
Gerry
Holes
House of Sand
and Fog, The
Human Stain, The
In America
Irreversible
Lord of the Rings:
The Return of the King
Madame Sata
Matchstick Men
Open Range
Shattered Glass
The Son
Sweet Sixteen
Swimming Pool
Thirteen
Whale Rider
Winged Migration